Welcome to

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All rights reserved by Everest Academy
Everest Academy is a ministry of Everest Family Church in Hayden. We offer freedom along with quality resources, information, activities and support to those homeschooling in Alabama. We believe that the parent has the best interests of their children at heart. We believe that the parent is the first and only teacher that a child needs. In keeping with this philosophy, we wish to be a very hands-off church "cover" school and allow the parent to lead and guide their children in the direction and at the pace they feel is best suited to their children. We ask only for what the law requires while offering support along with quality resources to aid families in their efforts.

KUDOS to Everest

KUDOS for Everest Academy
Updated Dec. 21, 2010

Every once in a while, I will get a request from prospective new families for references. So, several months ago I sent a message out in the newsletter asking for references.  Below I have listed some of the responses (There were WAY too many to list them all!).  Thanks ever so much to EVERY one who replied.  You all mean so much to me!


  • I have been with Everest Academy since 2007. It has been a great experience and Deb Spradlin the Administrator is great to work with. Would recommend Everest to anyone wanting to homeschool. ~Regina L Kent.
  • My name is Debbie Carden, and I live in Tuscaloosa, AL. Although I am a public school teacher, I have been homeschooling my son since 7th grade. In 7th grade, we went with a local cover-school and we were not happy with the experience. We considered just sending my son back to public school but luckily we found Everest Academy. I can't even begin to tell you how happy we have been with Everest. My son is now in his junior year and we have talked about moving out of state and the only thing holding us back is he wants to finish his homeschool career with Everest. Debbi Spradlin is FULL of knowledge and always willing to help. Her newsletters are fantastic and give you so many options of things to do, there is no way you could ever do them all. The people in Everest Academy are very eclectic but they are all really nice. I am so glad that I found Everest Academy because it has really made my son's homeschool experience a fantastic one! You can not go wrong by joining Everest Academy! 
  • Everest Academy has offered so many opportunities and freedoms in educating my children that restored my joy of homeschooling.   Deb works endless hours striving to improve our already excellent school.....Everest Academy is more than just a cover school.....it's a FAMILY school.  ~Scott and Kim LoveJoy
  • I'm so happy that we switched to Everest Academy. The website is comprehensive and well done. Deb Spradlin communicates well without over-doing it and she stays on top of things. We are very pleased with our association with Everest Academy.  - Eileen Ponas
  • Everest Academy has been absolutely wonderful! It offers so many activities & field trips that other homeschooling programs do not. Also, the administrator, Debbi Spradlin, is always sharing information and links for educational resources. I've loved our experiences with Everest Academy and highly recommend them to anyone who is considering homeschooling.  ~Amy A Hammett
  • Deb was a great help to us in beginning our homeschooling journey. The Everest Academy website is a wealth of information to a new homeschooling family.  ~Melody Johnson
  • Our family has homeschooled through Everest Academy for several years and has never been happier with a cover school. We have two daughters ages 15 and 12 (in 2010).  Debbie Spradlin is our ideal of an administrator: she offers a wealth of homeschool-related information, including informational articles, links to everything necessary to homeschool through graduation, free and low-cost activities, field trips from the local zoo to DisneyWorld, Mexican cruises, and more. Everest offers a huge buffet of options from which to pick as you find the need. We really appreciate not having to attend meetings, request approvals, fill out forms, reports, etc. Ms. Spradlin knows Alabama law regarding home educating and her attitude that the parents know best how to educate their own children is evident in all she does.  ---Kristen Lindelow, Huntsville, Alabama
  • Our family has greatly enjoyed being a part of Everest for the past year.  We love the variety, quantity and quality of activities that Everest provides.  ~Cindy Wentworth 
  • The administrator provides wonderful support; anytime I need anything, she responds very quickly, sometimes going to a lot of trouble to get me what I need.  ~Tonia M. Stulting
  • Everest Academy provides a wealth of information and opportunities to its students and families.  ~Christine Ecklund 
  • "Being an Everest Academy family means having the freedom to educate our children our way."  Thank you for all you do.  ~Kelley Gregory
  • I am writing to express my gratitude to Everest Academy. It's a pleasure to work with Debbi who knows the meaning of efficiency and professionalism. You have made my transition to home schooling a piece of cake.  ~Christie Gody 
  • We love Everest. With Everest Academy, we are free to truly homeschool in the way that works best for our family. They offer a buffet of options, and we are free to utilize the options that we want, without judgment for not participating in other options. After so much drama and catty-ness in other groups, Everest is very refreshing!  ~Terri LaPoint
  • Everest Academy (through Deb) is a great cover school and provides many, many resources, field trips and other activities.  I would (and often do) recommend it to anyone!  ~Jeannine Whitley 
  • My experience with Everest has been wonderful. From the administrator, who is very helpful and resourceful, down to the families, who are more than ready to help a fellow homeschooler. Everest always has tons of activities going on for the kids, teens as well as smaller kids. And always very willing to help in anyway possible to make our homeschooling experience wonderful.  ~ Tracy Thompson
  • My family loves Everest Academy.  The administrator is great to work with and provides so many different activities through the year.  I think this is one of the best cover schools out there and has definitely eased my homeschool journey.  ~Lisa McAnnally 
  • I'll gladly give a reference for you.   I think you are amazing!  Everest Academy offers a daily newsletter, outdoor adventures, teen scene, American Girl, Jr. Master Gardener, park days, monthly art lessons, driver's education, field trips, graduation, and a wonderful website with a lot of homeschool help!  Thanks, Deb, for all you do for homeschooling!  ~Ruth Williams
  • Working with Everest Academy has been a great asset to our family.  ~Connie
  • If I have any questions, problems that need to be solved, Everest Academy has always been kind and understanding and very quick with responses.  Heather Matthews
  • This is my second year with Everest Academy and we are very pleased. Everest provides an enormous amount of home schooling information/activities for all ages. Deb respects each family's method to home school without the burden of excessive paperwork and rules. Deb also responds quickly to e-mails.  ~Eva Nave
  • Everest Academy has given us the guidance that we had been looking for prior to enrolling.  Assistance is only an email away and we have always received a quick response to our numerous questions.  I would recommend Everest Academy to anyone.  ~Chrissy Benson
  • Everest Academy has been the perfect balance of the freedom that we wanted and the support we needed. ~Chris Roberson
  • “Everest Academy is a custom adapting cover school. They have as many activities as you could ever want to do, while still leaving all the choices up to you! Its perfect!”~Emily Rainer 
  • Since finding Everest, my children have loved homeschooling even more. Deb is a wonderful and very helpful supporter. I am very thankful for her and Everest to be a part of our home schooling adventure. The first cover school we used had no field trips or park days or anything for the kids to do, but at Everest there is something every week (usually every day almost) for us to go and meet new friends or see old ones. I highly recommend Everest Academy to anyone even thinking of homeschool especially all my friends or anybody that I meet! Hope to see you around Everest very soon :)  ~Patricia (Trysha) Hollie
  • "We love that Everest Academy offers so many great opportunities to the homeschool community and always look forward to seeing what new things will be offered each year. Everest also offers many ways to stay informed of upcoming opportunities which makes it a great resource for homeschoolers."  ~Briana Moore
  • Choosing Everest Academy was one of the best decisions we have made.  ~J. White 
  • Everest Academy provides outstanding support to it's families so they can be successful every step of the way - no matter how long or why a family chooses to home school.  ~Judy Cornelius 
  • As a former teacher, sometimes you have to look further than traditional schooling for an education.  Everest Academy, Debbi Spradlin in particular, has been incredible.  She has worked with me on getting my own child and other kids out of schooling woes to homeschooling wows!  I am extremely thorough in my research, I do not put my name on anything that I cannot stand behind 100% and as you can see, I proudly recommend Everest Academy.  ~Jayne Pierce
  • We loved the time we spent as homeschoolers with Everest Academy.  Deb, the director, is so connected with what is going on throughout the state and the regional directors plan a wide variety of educational opportunities.  I am in awe of just how much we were missing with other coverings!  I feel confident that someone in her network of families could address any question that might come up regarding homeschooling, education or plain old anything you wanted to try or do!  ~Donna Satterlee Ross 
  • "I love that Everest Academy allows us the discretion to choose how and when to school our children, but also how they work so hard to make us aware of the educational opportunities available.  It's really the best of both worlds: lots of freedom and less stress!"  -Jennifer Berry 
  • "Blessings! Everest has been a wonderful fit for our family. We have a micro-farm, small business, and a love for travel. Everest gave us the freedom to transform our busy life into a home school family. I love the choices available to the kids and the variety of families and activity options. Learning in the freedom of educational choices for us was the reason we considered Everest, but it's the hard work of Deb and the families at Everest that have kept us enrolled!"  ~Steven and Shellina Ryals
  • "I'm so glad we chose Everest Academy as our cover school!  Deb's newsletter is filled with activities for homeschoolers across the state.  She finds fun events and unique classes, coordinates field trips, and helps families connect.  Online enrollment and renewal couldn't be easier.  Best part is that she respects parents constitutional rights and does not require meetings, documentation (report cards, curriculum approval, etc.) or religious affiliation that many cover schools demand.  Alabama is a wonderful state for homeschooling freedom and Everest Academy truly supports that!"
    ~The O'Connor Family